The Late Great Joyce Randolph

Joyce Randolph, who played Trixie Norton on the classic sitcom The Honeymooners, died on January 13 2024 at the age of 99. She was the last surviving cast member of The Honeymooners.

Joyce Randolph was born Joyce Sirola on October 21 1924 in Detroit. She attended Cooley High School in Detroit and after graduation worked at Saks Fifth Avenue. At the same time she she appeared in Wayne University Workshop productions. It was not long before she received a role in a touring production of Stage Door. In 1943 she moved to New York City to pursue a career in acting. In 1944 she made her television debut in a one-act play aired on the television station WABD titled Gander Sauce. In 1950 she appeared in the TV shows The Colgate Comedy Hour, Inside Detective, Buck Rogers, Famous Jury Trials, The Clock, and I Cover Times Square. In 1950 she appeared on Broadway in Ladies Night in a Turkish Bath.

It was in 1951 that Jack Gleason hired Joyce Randolph to play Trixie Norton in the "Honeymooners" sketches on Cavalcade of Stars. He had seen her in a commercial for Clorets chewing gum.  Trixie was the wife of sewer worker Ed Norton (Art Carney), who also happened to be the best friend of lead character Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason). Elaine Stritch had originated the role, but only played it for one episode. When Jackie Gleason moved to CBS she remained in the role of Trixie in "Honeymooners" sketches on The Jackie Gleason Show. In 1952 she also appeared as Trixie in a "Honeymooners" sketch on Toast of the Town (later renamed The Ed Sullivan Show. She continued to play Trixie on the classic sitcom The Honeymooners. After the sitcom ended, she continued to appear as Trixie on a revival of The Jackie Gleason Show.  In the Fifties Joyce Randolph also appeared on the TV shows Short Short Dramas, The Plainclothesman, The Jack Benny Program, The Mail Story, and Modern Romances.

Joyce Randolph found herself typecast as Trixie Norton following her stints on The Jackie Gleason Show and The Honeymooners. Afterwards she did summer stock and appeared in commercials. In 1964 she guest starred on an episode of The Nurses. She reprised her role as Trixie on the sitcom Hi Honey, I'm Home!. She had a cameo in the movie Everything's Jake (2000).

While others played Trixie Norton as well, Joyce Randolph remains the best remembered, and I think it is due to more than the fact that she played the role in the "Classic 39." Quite simply, as Trixie Norton, Joyce Randolph was one of the funniest straight women of all time. When reacting to Ralph or Ed's antics, she could get laughs with as little as a look. Her delivery was always pitch perfect for comedy. Joyce Randolph also had great rapport with Audrey Meadows, who played Ralph's wife Alice, and the two of them made a great team. If The Honeymooners is one of the greatest sitcoms of all time and the surviving "Honeymooners" sketches still hold up today, much of the credit must go to Joyce Randolph.